Coca Cola recently launched a same sex couple campaign in Hungary, and immediately faced backlash from politicians and conservatives including loyal customers who are threatening to boycott the brand if it doesn’t pull it down. But Coca Cola is standing their ground, and are certain they will not pull down their ad.
The ‘Love is Love’ campaign was launched ahead of Budapest’s progressive Sziget festival involving a poster series featuring same-sex couples. It was accompanied with tagline like – Zero Sugar, Zero Prejudice, and placed all across the capital city. Unfortunately, the campaign has been receiving a lot criticism with some prominent citizens calling out it out.
While same-sex marriage is legal in Hungary, the same is currently being opposed by their prime minister Viktor Orban. István Boldog, a Hungarian member of parliament and leader of the ruling party, also said he would boycott the brand unless the ‘Love is Love’ campaign was taken down. An online petition seconds his sentiments, calling for officials to ban the ads and boycott the brand; it has amassed 25,000 signatures. The petition reads as follows : “If Hungarian society accepts this, there will be more and more steps. Posters, commercials, films, rainbow products, etc. And as we continue to slide down the slope, it will become increasingly difficult to stop.”
Despite this, Coca Cola is not pulling the campaign down in a show of solidarity with the LGBTQ community.
